22 days until Spring Break

I have 22 days until Spring Break. I just figured out that if I can live off of the groceries I have in my kitchen for the next 22 days without buying anything else and hoarding my paychecks...I will have saved up enough money to fully pay off my tuition and my housing for Spring Quarter. Fully. Fully. Fully.

Hallelujah. 

I know I have enough food...I'll just need to come up with some combinations to keep things interesting for a while. 

However, like the blog title suggests...sometimes you only get to pick two of the three things you need. This month and next month I'll choose tuition and rent. I'll try to stay away from boring food as much as I can, but I'm really looking forward to a quarter where I can put all of my money to good use. I can stick half my earnings into a savings account. I can buy myself a new pair of jeans so I can stop wearing yoga pants everyday. I can buy an extra gift for my sponsor children. I could even treat my Dad to a Mariner's game since I missed his birthday. 

Are these things worth eating pasta everyday? I think so.

I promise I'll post some recipes later. Perhaps after my mid-quarter crisis ;)

Vegan Crepes

Okay.


So I know the post says vegan crepes, but I ruined them with Nutella. Stupid skim milk ingredient. But tonight was a straight up Nutella night. I had gone through the horrible process of registering for classes only to find out that I'll need to take extra online classes to graduate on time due to some departmental changes. Cost to me: $973.


Then we have Valentines Day. My love lives far away in Florida. We decided to wait for our Valentines Day celebration. But did Valentines Day wait for us? NOOOOOOOOO. I had to sit and watch while people were showered with flours, candies, and good smelling men...pass the Nutella jar, please. 


Now that you know I cheated on this vegan thing, I'll tell you about the actual crepes which are vegan and freaking amazing.


It took me 2 tries to cook it right. The first time I didn't let it cook long enough. If you've ever cooked a regular crepe before, you know that there's that fine line between "just enough" and "BUURRRRRN!" These take a bit longer than usual, but I didn't know that so I freaked out and ended up mushing my way through flour porridge. It was bad. I almost gave up. The second time, I pushed that limit. Mmmm...burning.


Then I added a little bit more water to thin the batter, and exercised a little more patience (I am only human after all, and I couldn't wait for those crepes!), and voila! Perfection. You get a nice little kick from the maple syrup, and these would be heavenly topped with some fruit.


Or you could cheat with Nutella.

Layered, cut, Nutella-d, and sugared.

Vegan Crepes
Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup soy milk (or coconut/rice/almond)
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/4 cup melted soy margarine
• 1 tablespoon turbinado sugar (sugar in the raw!)
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup
• 1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt (optional)

Directions:

1) Mix all ingredients in a bowl. 

2) Grease a 5-6in skillet with your margarine. Heat until the skillet is nice and hot, then add about 3 tbsp of batter, making sure to spread thin in a circular motion.

3) Cook until golden and flip.

Perfection in a pan.

You may also find that the crepe is too crumbly if you flip it too early. Or if you use a metal spatula. So switch to a plastic one and have patience my friend!

-Stephanie

Baked Apple Chips

Last week, I went on our Student Senate retreat. I was a driver, and people switched cars on our drive down to Portland so that everyone had a chance to bond with everyone. Every now and then a documentary called Forks over Knives would pop up in conversation. I didn't know a lot about it, but various senators raved about it, so I figured I should check it out.

The basic premise: Forks over Knives advocates for a whole foods, plant based diet. Not from an ethical/moral/animal welfare perspective, but from a health perspective. They showed evidence that the protein you get from ingesting animal meats (chicken, beef, fish), can actually do more damage than good. BUT...I'll let you watch it for yourself :-) It's on Netflix if you have it.

I like the film because it catered more to my health needs versus forcing me to watch films of sickly cows and chickens being slaughtered or poked with forklifts. I grew up in a farming community though...so maybe I'm biased. I have no problem with the consumption of animals, but I am concerned about my health.

Over the next few weeks, I'll try to make the transition to being vegetarian-ish...and then vegan-ish. I got rid of all my eggs and some beef in the freezer today (and by that I mean I made egg salad sandwiches and beef stew).  I don't want to give up some foods entirely, but I'll make an effort to try this veggie/vegan thing out. I'll need to be able to bake good food. I'll need to have a cheat day now and again. But I'll try.

Anyways...recipe time! I've been looking for some healthy snacks to have on hand so that I don't come home and eat all my chocolate chips. Which mayyyyybe I've done on occasion. Maybe. So, I decided to make myself some apple chips!

I'm pretty sure you can use whatever apple you like. I'm a big fan of Pink Lady apples, so I used those.

Baked Apple Chips

Ingredients
3 apples of your choice
Cinnamon
Baking sheets and wax paper

Directions
1) Preheat oven to 200 degrees.
2)Slice the apples super thin. Mine were 1/6th of an inch, but I used one of those mandolin slicers. If you're using a knife, cut them as thin as you can without cutting yourself.

Don't worry about taking out the core.

3) Cover the baking sheet with wax paper, then places the apples on the baking sheet. Do not overlap apples! Sprinkle apples with cinnamon.
4) Bake in the oven for 30 minutes, then flip and bake for another 30 minutes. They will shrink and crinkle up, and will get crispy once they've sat out for a bit.

It may take a few rounds to get all the apples cooked. Be prepared for your oven to be on for a good 2 hours. I don't actually have to pay for utilities in student housing...so I don't care :)

Like Pringles...
once you pop, the fun don't stop!

-Stephanie

Sausage Gumbo (with no okra!)

I'm scared of okra. I don't know why. I'm pretty sure it has something to do with the fact that it looks like evil  jalapeno peppers.

So, this is officially okra-less gumbo. 

What did I use instead? CORN! I love the frozen sweet corn from Trader Joes. This particular bag had been in the freezer for...a while. It was beyond freezer burned. It was fine though...the ice melted pretty quickly after the corn hit the soup, and my gumbo only tasted a bit like college freezer ;)

Yum...corn popsicles! 

The original (and okra-filled) recipe is from Eating Well magazine waaaaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyy back in 2005. I've added some things, and subtracted some things, and made some po' girl substitutions. Regardless of how you decide to make it, you'll find that it fills you up and gets your nose running! 

Save the leftovers in an old spaghetti sauce jar in the fridge. If you put the soup in the jar while its still hot, then stick it in the fridge, the jar will reseal itself and you can save the soup for a while. Or if you want to save it for a long time, put it in some tupperware and freeze. Just don't add the rice at the end, or the rice will sop up all of the liquid. Add just enough rice for what you'll use right away, and save the rest in the fridge for later.

Okra-less Sausage Gumbo

(adapted from Eating Well)

Makes 4 servings/about 168 calories per serving

Ingredients

• 6 ounces hot (cajun, italian, etc.) turkey sausage links, removed from casings (or cut up)
• 1 teaspoons canola oil
• 1/2 large onion, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning
• 1 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 cups chopped tomatoes (I use canned tomatoes, and the juices from the can)
• 2 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 1 1/4 cups frozen chopped corn (or okra...if you really have to)
• 1/2 cup brown rice, cooked

Directions

1. Cook the brown rice (either on the stove or in a rice cooker, if you have one). Set aside.

2. Cook sausage in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat, breaking it up into small pieces with a wooden spoon, until cooked through, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl lined with paper towels.

3. Return the pan to medium-high heat and add oil. Add onion and cook, stirring often, for about 2 minutes. Add garlic and Cajun seasoning and cook about 30 seconds. Add flour and cook, stirring to coat the vegetables, until the flour browns, about 1 minute. Add tomatoes, stirring occasionally, until they begin to release their juices, about 2 minutes. Stir in broth, cover, and bring to a boil.

4. Return the sausage to the pot, along with corn; reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook until the corn is heated through, about 5 minutes. 

5. Add the rice, and cook for an additional 5 minutes.

Enjoy! 

-Stephanie

Bunch of Crock: Crock-pot Enchiladas

I love putting food in a big warm pot and coming back to it 4 hours later.


If you're a college kid who doesn't have a crock pot, you'd better ask for one next birthday/valentines day/christmahanukwanzaa. Seriously. You could put something together, set it in here, come back after class and your shift at the library and have a hot meal waiting.


It's like a husband, but easier to maintain!


Anyways, this recipe makes a lot. You can keep the extras in the fridge for 1 week...I could probably do two weeks, but I like to live on the edge food-wise. If you don't want to make 8 enchiladas, halve the recipe. And again, if you don't have all the ingredients, don't worry about it.


(I asked my mom if I needed cumin, and she said "Hell no, that stuff smells like body odor anyways." True story.)

Crock Pot Enchiladas

Makes about 8

1/2 yellow onion, diced

1/2 bell pepper, diced (any color)

1 16-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 cup frozen corn

2 teaspoons chili powder

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups cheese, shredded and divided 

2 16-ounce jars of your favorite salsa

12 6”-8” tortillas, flour or corn or BOTH*

Optional: 1 cup leftover meat - chicken, pork, hamburger, or shredded beef

In a medium bowl, mix together the onion, pepper, black beans, corn, spices, meat (if using), and just 1/2 cup of the cheese. Pour about a cup of salsa (half a jar) into the bottom of the crock pot and spread it around evenly.

I really needed a bigger bowl. And more cheese.

Scoop about 1/3 cup of the mixture into one of the tortillas, roll it up, and place it into the bottom of the crock pot. Repeat with the half of the remaining filling, rolling tortillas until the entire bottom of of the crock pot is filled. Spread another cup of salsa over this layer and sprinkle it with 1/2 cup of cheese. Continue with the remaining filling and tortillas to create a second layer. Top with another cup of salsa, but reserve the remaining 1/2 cup of cheese for later. 

"Leave and get on with life for 4 hours..."

Place the lid on the slow cooker and cook on HIGH for 2-4 hours. In the last 15 minutes of cooking, sprinkle the leftover cheese over the top and let it melt. Serve the enchiladas with the remaining salsa. 

It looks better melted...
in fact, it looked so good I forgot to take pictures and I ate it right away.
 Nom. 

Happy eating,

Stephanie

*BOTH! These are wonderful. I hate pure corn tortillas, but the flour ones aren't as "good" for you. I bought these at Fred Meyer.

Black Bean Soup

I try and keep things somewhat healthy...I mean, if I only have so much money for so much food each month I had better make it worth it.


This recipe for black bean soup is WONDERFUL.  It's cheap to make, healthy to eat, tastes amazing, and makes plenty of leftover soup. 


As in all of my cooking adventures, you need to be willing to substitute things. I don't ever have limes around, but this recipe calls for lime juice. What do I do? Use that bottled lemon juice. Or lemonade. Use whatever, really. If you don't have Worcestershire sauce, either buy some and use it, or don't buy it. It's your money! 


The cilantro makes this taste almost salsa-y. And if you use smoked chipotle instead of chili powder the recipe is even more amazing. But let's be real...that shit's expensive...I only use it when I snag some from a trip to the grandparents :)

Leftovers! Also, this is not at my house...the kitchen's too nice. 

Ingredients

• 5 slices bacon, finely chopped
• 1 medium onions, chopped 
• 3 garlic cloves, pressed
• 1 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 3/4 cups canned chopped tomatoes
• 1 tbsp ketchup
• 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 tbsp chili powder
• 2 (15 1/2-ounce) cans black beans, drained but not rinsed
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2 bunch cilantro
• juice of 1/2 lime
• 
  

Directions

Put the bacon into a pot and place it over medium heat. Cook about 4-5 minutes. Stir in the onions and cook, until they start to turn translucent, about 4 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook until you can smell it, about 1 minute. Add the broth, tomatoes, ketchup, Worcestershire, and chili powder. Stir in the beans, turn the heat to high and bring to a boil. Adjust the heat so the soup is bubbling gently and cook 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Meanwhile, pick off all the thick stems from the cilantro. Wash it and shake dry. Chop the cilantro coarsely and stir it into the soup when it has been simmering 10 minutes. cook until the soup is thickened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the lime juice. Consume.

Muffins

It's two o'clock in the morning.
My Facebook newsfeed is boring.
I have to get up for work soon.
lalalalalalablah the moon.

I really do have to get up for work soon. Ever since a freak Seattle snow-storm that buried the city (kidding!), I haven't been on a great sleep cycle. So here I sit. On blogger. Blogging.

I made myself some muffins to take to work with me tomorrow since I'm going to be there in 6 hours. I figure since I'll be trying to get up at the last possible minute, I should try and plan ahead for the massive procrastination-fest I'll be having. So...

1:43am - Prime muffin-making time.

2 eggs
1/4 cup vegetable oil (olives are vegetables, right?)
3/4 cup water
Betty Crocker Chocolate Chip muffin mix.

Boom. Mix all. Cook in muffin tin. 400 degrees F for 16-21 minutes. Or until your smoke detector comes on.

Breakfast for tomorrow. Healthy? Nope. I'm not here to be healthy. Healthy comes after I get monies with my fancy B.A. Psych degree. And in this instance, I do mean bad-ass.

Boom. And yeah, I nommed that muffin top.

Tuition, Rent, or Food

The reasons behind creating a "food" blog are pretty simple.

I'm in college.
I'm broke.
Paying tuition is a bitch.
I've wanted to start a food blog but don't have fancy camera crap so I've always felt inferior so I've never started one and I still feel like a poser for starting one but I think I can do it because other people can but I still feel--

Well, shit. I'm doing it now.

So, welcome to my life. I love to cook, but my love of food conflicts with my ability to pay rent or tution...or in this month's case rent AND tuition. I'll take shitty photography in piss-poor lighting (which might make my wonderful bean soup look like dog vomit) but it'll get the point and my recipes across.

Or it will make me look really stupid.

I'm going to go make muffins now.